The thing that changed in the UK was that it stopped being run by the police, with the job of keeping the roads clear, to private companies working for councils who gained revenues for tickets.

A private contractor will watch as you park your car on a double yellow line, and when out of sight, will ticket you. Which is wrong, because the point of traffic wardens, why we have double yellow lines, is to keep the roads clear.

When the police ran it, if they spotted you getting out of a car, they would warn you that you would get ticketed if you did that. If you were then a moron, you'd get a ticket. But they didn't want to give you a ticket, they wanted to keep the road clear.

Then again, a lot of people just try it on, take the risk etc. I used to park in a 1hr parking area because it was cheaper for going to work than paying £2/day in parking. I'd get a ticket every few months, which still meant it was cheaper.